Portal 2 Review (Spoiler Alert)

After playing much Portal 2, I start thinking where portals would really help me out in everyday situations. Maybe I'd shoot one underneath my car, and the other across town, so I wouldn't get stuck in traffic and be late for classes. Or maybe I'd shoot one on the ground, and the other next to the statue of liberty so I could jump off a building and high five the statue of liberty. And the pranks I could play...are endless.

Portal 2 is an amazing game. It's predecessor was great, but Portal 2 takes things to the next level. There's an extensive back-story that really gives the game depth. The characters have much more personality. Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant, plays your sidekick and you instantly fall in love with his robotic quirkiness. That's why you feel betrayed when he becomes the antagonist, and you're ferociously playing the game to seek your revenge. Even GLaDOS, the malicious, ill-talking computer system becomes somewhat of a likable character.

The single player mode is roughly 10-12 hours long, about 4 times as long as the first Portal. The first 20 minutes of the game feel like you're playing the first one again, with a slightly different level design. After that, the puzzles and challenges are completely new, while sticking to the successful Portal formula. I really liked the 3 sections of the game: GLaDOS' levels, Old Aperature Science levels, and Wheatley's levels. That's another thing. Once you get about 2/5ths of the way, you'll play through Old Aperture Science, with Cave Johnson, voiced by J.K. Simmons, guiding you though. I found this part of the game really gave it the back-story and depth.

Co-op mode was just as fun. Although only about half as long, it's still something not to be missed. You and you're gaming partner, play as two whacky robots, P-Body and Atlas. You help each other navigate each set of levels. Teamwork is a must, as you'll discover the levels become more and more challenging. I wasn't able to play online, so sadly I had to play co-op mode by myself. Yes I took turns controlling both characters, and yes it is next to impossible at some parts, but I did it. For you.

The only complaint against Portal 2 was it's made using Source's outdated engine. The graphics look 1st generation and can't compare to anything released now. I don't mind that it's a short game, I think the fact that each level has multiple combinations of being solved makes you wanna go back for additional runs at the game. If you're still unsure, wait until it's dropped in price.